Top Searches:

Bike taxis waiting to happen in Bengaluru

Suchith Kidiyoor

In a city where traffic snarls are part of the ur ban landscape, this is seemingly that game-changing idea. Two-wheeler taxis. After the city has wholeheartedly embraced taxi aggregators, now it is the turn of bike taxi aggregators revving to the transport department to get going. That the department is all for motorcycle taxis is clear from the fact that it has already fixed the fares: Rs 10 for the first two kms and Rs 5 for every subsequent km.

| Bangalore Mirror Bureau | Updated: Dec 17, 2015, 12:01 IST

Office girl in Bangkok going to work on the back of a bike-taxi.

Bengaluru: In a city where traffic snarls are part of the ur ban landscape, this is seemingly that game-changing idea. Two-wheeler taxis. After the city has wholeheartedly embraced taxi aggregators, now it is the turn of bike taxi aggregators revving to the transport department to get going. That the department is all for motorcycle taxis is clear from the fact that it has already fixed the fares: Rs 10 for the first two kms and Rs 5 for every subsequent km.

Jayanagar RTO (the agency which issues taxi permits in city limits) has received 12 to 15 proposals; with a poll code of conduct in place be cause of the December 27 legislative elections, a decision cannot be announced now. Transport commissioner Rame Gowda said already three aggregators have applied seeking permit to operate.

Motorcycle taxis are popular in countries like Thailand, UK, Sweden, US, Brazil and Indonesia.

The department is in the process of preparing guidelines to cover bike taxis in the line of city taxi aggregators. Issues that the department will have to grapple are: whether lifetime tax should be imposed on the these bike taxis or quarterly tax like that t governs other types of transport vehicles, types of vehicle, whether rider should have minimum age of riding experience, helmet is compulsory for r pillion riders, yellow numberplates and digital meters.

Gowda told Bangalore Mirror, “The regional transport authority headed by the deputy commissioner of Bengaluru Urban n district is authority which issues the permit. Meanwhile, the state government would be approached seeking approval for the guidelines to cover bike taxis in the city.“

The transport department likely to restrict the permits to BBMP limits.

A department official said, “The city already has a whopping 40.64 lakh two-wheelers out of 58.75 lakh vehicles. One of the private operators has already started his business via a mobile app. We have no idea how their business is doing. If we consider the traffic density in the city commuting on bike also takes much time though it is comparatively lesser to buses, city taxis and autos.“

FIRST BIKE TAXI ON PILOT BASIS

Vishal Kumar, co-founder of Hey Bob, a mobile taxi aggregator in the city which started their business on pilot basis on Wednesday, said, "In our study we have found that a person travels on a bike saves at least 70 per cent time compared with commute in a four wheeler or autos. It is also economical at just Rs 5 per km. At present, we have started our operations in Koramangala area linking various destinations. After we announced our operations, over a thousand people have downloaded the app." Kumar said that at present 40-odd people have attached their bikes. "We have not released all of the vehicles on the road. In coming days we would convert them to a transport vehicle bearing yellow numberplates." He claimed that his company does background check of the bikers who are being roped in..

All Comments ()+^ Back to Top

Characters Remaining: 3000

Continue without login

or

Login from existing account

FacebookGoogleEmail

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Refrain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or inflammatory, and do not indulge in personal attacks, name calling or inciting hatred against any community. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines by marking them offensive. Let's work together to keep the conversation civil.